The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

ACOSS warns against hasty GST decision

Australia's peak welfare body is concerned public confidence in tax reform will be compromised if the nation's leaders and treasurers strike a secret deal to raise the GST.

Australian Council of Social Service boss Cassandra Goldie says the states and territories are rightly seeking at COAG to secure their long-term budgets, particularly to pay for essential services such as health, education and community services into the future.

"However, it would be foolish to rush to an option when the reform processes in tax and federation have barely begun," she said in a statement on Tuesday.